Matthew 2:1-12: The Joy of All Nations

Notes
Transcript

Intro

Who is Jesus?

That is the most important question you could ever ask.
How you answer that one question changes everything.
It changes your identity: Are you a son or daughter of God, beloved by the Father or are you dead in your trespasses and sins and an enemy of Christ?
It changes the course and direction of your life. Do you live for Christ? Do you live in all things and in all ways for Him and His glory? Or are you enslaved to your sin living only for yourself?
It even changes your eternal destiny. Where will you spend eternity? Will you live forever in Heaven with Christ and the blessing of eternal life or will you suffer forever in Hell under God’s wrath in the condemnation of your sins?

Who...is Jesus?

The birth of Christ and Matthew 2:1-12 answers that question.
This is a famous passage. You have the wise men, the star of Bethlehem, gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It is the Christmas story.
But it is so much more than a Christmas story.
All of it, the Magi, the star of Bethlehem, the gifts they bring ultimately point us to who Jesus truly is and what it really means to worship Him.
Here’s the BIG IDEA...

Jesus is the the joy of all nations who gives salvation to everyone who believes in Him.

The Magi brought Jesus gifts, but Jesus is the greatest gift of all.
He is the joy of the nations.
Why? What makes Jesus the joy of the nations? What does that really mean?
This is what Christmas is all about.
The star and the Magi tell us 3 things that make Jesus the joy of all nations. The greatest joy we could ever have...
First, Jesus is God’s long promised Messiah. The Savior King of the world.
Second, He is the light of the Nations, bringing salvation to all men even those who are far off.
And third, He is our Great God and Savior who is worthy of all of our worship and praise.
Let’s start with point number 1...

I. Jesus is the Promised Messiah

Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.
Now we are going to get into the star and its significance in the next point, but for now I want to focus on who the wise men were seeking.
The word for wise men is the Greek word for Magi.
Magi was the Persian and Babylonian name for astrologers and philosophers. Learned men who usually served as counselors to a king.
We see many of them in the book of Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he would call together his counselors and wise men to give the interpretation and help him rule his kingdom.
Even Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were considered Magi.
But these Magi, in particular, were especially devoted to astrology, reading the stars, because they came to Jerusalem from the east after seeing a star when it rose.
And somehow they knew this star was a sign of the king of the Jews. And as we are about to see that is a loaded term.
Its not just any king. Its THE King. The Christ. The Messiah who would rule the world.
And contrary to what you’ve usually been told, there were quite a few more than just three of them because their arrival did not go unnoticed, but was large enough to rile up the whole city.
Verse 3...
Matthew 2:3-6 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Now who’s Herod?
Also known as Herod the great, Herod was an illegitimate king of Israel.
He was an Edomite, a cousin of the Jews descended from Esau who was put in charge over Israel by Rome.
And by the time Jesus comes around, Herod had been ruling for about 30 years (Doriani, Matthew 2nd Ed., 29-30).
He was rich and extraordinarily gifted-in-hand to hand combat, politics, and administration.
But Herod was hated by the Jews.
They saw him as an usurper to the throne and a symbol of Roman oppression.
And, in fact, all Herod cared about was power.
He even became paranoid later in his life killing anyone he saw as a threat to his reign included his wife and at least two, possibly three of his own sons.
And so when these wise men come seeking the king of the Jews, Herod is troubled.
Here was a rumor that a legitimate king to the throne of David had been born.
And so Herod called all the chief priests and the scribes together to find out where he was. Not so that he could worship Him, but so that He could kill Him.
And even this was a political move by Herod.
The scribes were students of the Law and theologically conservative. Many Pharisees fell into this camp.
The chief priests on the other hand were sadducees. Theological liberal and more willing to conform to the new world order of Rome.
And these two groups did not get along. We see this in the book of Acts where Paul starts an argument between them by saying he was on trial for the resurrection from the dead which the sadducees denied (Acts 23:6-7).
And so Herod, paranoid that someone might lie to him to make way for this new King, gets them both together to ask where the Christ was going to be born because if they both gave him the same answer, he knew it would be true.
And verse 5...
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’
The scribes and the chief priests go to Micah 5:2 and say that the Christ, the Son of David, was to be born in Bethlehem.
This is why I said that the King of the Jews was a loaded term.
The Christ, the Messiah, was so much bigger than just another king of Israel like Herod.
God had promised He would be the King of kings.
The shepherd of God’s people and deliverer of Israel.
God’s Chosen One who would save His people from their sins.
This was who the Magi were seeking, and this is what makes Christ the joy of the nations.
He is the Savior-King of the world. That’s what the word Messiah means.

Christ-Messiah

In the New Testament He is called Christ, in the Old Testament He is called the Messiah.
All it means is that He is the Anointed One. The Chosen One set apart by God and empowered by to carry out and effectually accomplish His will and purpose.
Well what was that? What was the hope for the Messiah?
We noted last week how in the Old Testament, several different types of people were anointed by God.
Prophets were anointed by God to preach the Word.
Priests were anointed by God to offer sacrifices and serve as a mediator between God and the people.
And Kings were anointed by God to shepherd the people of God and secure for them all the blessings of God’s Kingdom.
Well in Christ all three of these come together into One.
He is the True and Better Prophet who preaches the good news of the gospel.
He is the True and Better Priest who offered his life as a once and for all sacrifice to save His people from their sins.
And He is the True and Better King who conquers our enemies of Sin, Satan, and Death to give us life, rest, and and blessing in the kingdom of God and as the King whose throne will never pass away or ever be destroyed guarantee those blessings forever, and ever and ever.
In short, the Christ, the Messiah, was the true and better fulfillment of every prophet, priest, and king of the Old Testament and the ultimate hope for the people of God.
And we see all of this in the wider context of Micah 5:2 that promises that the Christ would be born in the city of David, the town of Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2-5 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
This is one of the first hints that the Messiah was more than just a man. More than just a king.
He comes forth from old, and from ancient days.
This means that the Messiah is eternal. He is without beginning.
Well God alone is eternal. He is the Creator, everything else is the created.
What this tells us is that the Messiah, the one who would ultimately save His people from their sins and shower them with all the blessings of God would not be just an ordinary man. He would be God incarnate.
The eternal Son of God who took on human flesh.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.
This is the virgin birth.
And when it says then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel, that is exactly what Hebrews 2:14 and 17 says...
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things...he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Christ took on human flesh to offer His life as a sacrifice for our sins so that through faith in Him, you and I might be forgiven and adopted into the family of God.
Verse 4...
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.
Micah is promising that the Messiah would be the great Shepherd-King redeem the world even to the ends of the earth and bring peace and blessing to all of His people.
That’s what the word peace means.
Its the Hebrew word shalom and it means prosperity and welfare. Rest. Blessing. Wholeness as opposed to brokenness.
Its a word where everything is right and everything as it should be.
Its all around goodness and everything opposite of the curse and sin.
Its redemption. Blessing and life. And that’s exactly what Jesus, the true shepherd king brings to everyone who believes in Him.
That was the hope of the Messiah. A Shepherd-King who would rule the nations to the ends of the earth, give God’s people rest from all their enemies, and bless them with Salvation and Life.
And did not Jesus say I am the good shepherd? Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest? (John 10:11, Mt. 11:28).

Summary

This is one of the reasons why Jesus is the joy of the nations.
The Messiah promised to the Jews was the hope of the world.
This Shepherd-King from the little town of Bethlehem was the Anointed One chosen by God to bring life, salvation, peace, wholeness, shalom to the world.
He was the One who would redeem everything broken by the fall and make all things new.
The One through whom all the blessings of God would flow
Thats who the wise men were looking to see.
The Messiah-King, the Savior of the world.
And that takes us to point number two...
Not only is Jesus the joy of the nations because He is the Messiah God promised long ago.
He is also the joy of the nations because He is the light of the nations.

II. Jesus is the Light of the Nations

Go back to verse 1...
Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Now usually when we read this story, we are so familiar with it that we just brush past the Magi and the star of Bethlehem.
Its as if they are just part of the story and so we don’t look for any theological significance for why they are there, and in doing so, we miss out on seeing a truly glorious picture of God’s amazing grace.
How did the Magi know to look for a star?
We don’t know.
Here’s one possibility.
We noted earlier how Magi is a very specific word that has its roots in Babylon and Persia.
That and from the fact that they are from the east and traveled along way hint that they may have been from Persia or possibly even from Babylon itself.
Two kingdoms we know from the book of Daniel that were heavily exposed to Judaism.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were some of the highest ranking officials in the Babylonian Empire and the book of Esther tells us that during the reign of the Persians the Jews were spread throughout all 127 provinces of the Empire (Esther 8:9).
So its very possible they were familiar with the Jewish hope of a deliverer from Numbers 24:17 A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
This head crushing motif is found all throughout the Old Testament with its roots tracing back to Genesis 3:15 where God promised that the Messiah would crush the head of the serpent.
So this passage, in Judaism, came to be understood as a passage that promised a Messianic deliverer.
A King who would crush all of God’s enemies, even Satan himself, and bring peace and rest to His people.
On top of that you had Daniel’s prophecy From Daniel chapter 2 that In the days of those kings, the days of the Roman Emperors, God would set up a kingdom that would never pass away and never be destroyed. One that would break all other kingdoms and grow into a great mountain that fills the whole earth (Daniel 2:34-35, 44).
And chapter 7 there would come one like a son of man and to Him would be given dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom where all peoples, nations, and languages would serve him (Daniel 7:13-14).
So when these Magi, these star gazers, saw a new star rise in heaven, they wondered what could this possibly mean?
And so they started to look. They looked everywhere until they figured out that this star could only be the Messiah, the King of the Jews.
That’s how this all possibly could’ve worked itself out.
But here’s what we know.
No matter where these Magi came from, they were far off.
Pagan astrologers distant from God, and yet, God brings them near out of the goodness of His grace.

Star

The star itself even points to God’s grace.
In the Bible, divination and sorcery are against God’s Law, and that included astrology.
In Isaiah 47:12-13 God said Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries...let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.
But here God uses the stars, he literally moves the heavens, to bring the Magi to worship Christ.
Why? What does that mean? It means the star is more than just a star. It is God’s grace in action.
God is not endorsing or approving astrology.
But He’s putting a sign of the Messiah, where the pagans would see it.
God, in His grace, draw the Magi to Himself meeting them where they are.
He even overcomes their sin to bring them grace.
And is that not what God does with every one of us?
The Star in the Christmas story is the kindness of God to bring those who are far off near. To show the majesty of God’s grace that no one is beyond God’s power to save.
The Magi remind us that the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Nations

But that’s not all Matthew wants us to see.
The Magi aren’t just a picture of God’s grace. They are also the firstfruits of God’s promise to save the Nations in Jesus Christ.
This is why I said Jesus is the Light of the Nations.
Jesus said in John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
And this is a major theme in John’s gospel.
Jesus said I am the light of the world (John 8:12).
John 1:9-13 The true light...was coming into the world....[and] all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And this theme that Jesus is the light, didn’t just come from no where, it was promised again and again in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 49:6 It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
God is saying, its not enough that Christ would just be king of the Jews.
He wants to make them a light for all nations. All peoples. All those who are far off and all those who are near.
Why? That my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
Or like Malachi 1:11 says From the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering.
God’s love and grace are so great, that He desires all men all would turn to Christ and be saved.
He promised that Christ would be a light for the nations, and the Magi are the first ones drawn to that light by the light of a star.
And remember, it wasn’t just two or three of them. It was a huge caravan. Large enough to get the attention of the whole city to say that in Christ, the light of the world, God is drawing the caravan of the nations to Himself.
Well why does this make Christ the joy of all nations. Look what this light does.
Isaiah 42:6-7 I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
The light opens blind eyes.
In our sin we walk in darkness and death. Complete ignorance of God doomed to suffer His wrath for our sins.
We groped in the dark, completely lost and without hope in the world.
But in Christ, we were blind and now we see.
The light also brings prisoners out of darkness.
We are enslaved to our sin. In complete bondage.
And Christ frees us. He takes us out of darkness and gives us new hearts that love God and love His Law so that we would not be enslaved to our sin, but walk in the newness of life.
And look what Matthew says in Matthew 4:16 quoting Isaiah 9.
Matthew 4:16 The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.
We were dwelling in the shadow of death, and in Christ, through faith in Him, we have eternal life.
The light of Christ has dawned, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:4).
This is good news, not just for the Jews but for all nations.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Its easy to forget that we are all Gentiles.
That God gave the promises to the Jews, and there was no obligation for Him to extend that promised salvation beyond His own covenant people to the rest of the world.
That’s why Paul says in Ephesians 2:11-13...
Ephesians 2:11-13 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
All of us were far off, just like the Magi.
All of us had no hope and were without God in the world, stumbling in darkness.
But God, in His grace, made Christ a light for the nations, and brought us near by the blood of Christ.
He has opened our blind eyes.
Brought us out from our slavery to sin.
And transferred us from the Kingdom of Darkness and shadow of death and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13).
What grace. What joy.
Christ is the joy of all nations because He is the light for all nations.
Number 3...

III. Jesus is our Great God and Savior

Matthew 2:7-12 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.
No remember, Herod had no interest in worshiping Christ.
He wanted to find out where Christ was so that He could kill Him and cut off any challenge to His throne.
Verse 9…
After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
One interesting side note here is that it looks like, this star is a wandering star.
Now was it a normal star. By normal star I mean part of a particular constellation that appeared at this precise time moment in time in precisely this way or was it miraculous star.
One God specially created for this specific purpose.
We don’t know, and a lot of time has been spent trying to figure that out.
Here’s what we do know. This star, whatever it was, was directed by the sovereign hand of God, to bring the Magi to Christ.
And what’s really interesting, is that it doesn’t just take them straight to Bethlehem. They go to Jerusalem first.
Why? Because general revelation only gets you so far.
Like Romans 1 say, what can be known about God, namely his eternal power and divine nature are clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Rom. 1:19-20), but it wasn’t until after the Scripture that the star led them to Bethlehem.
General revelation is not enough. People need the gospel. They need the word of God to know Christ and be saved, and God has called us to take it to them.
And when the Magi get to the house where Christ was, which tells us along with the fact that Herod ordered all the male babies 2 years old and younger to be killed, that this is probably some time after Christ’s birth because he’s no longer in a manger but in a house.
When they come to that house, they rejoice exceedingly with great joy.
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
They worship Christ whose probably close to two years old at the time, and they give him gifts.
They give Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The best of the best of what the Magi had to offer.
10s of 1000s of dollars worth of gifts to this young child.
Now there are probably a few things that are happening with these gifts.
For one, the Magi were, remember, a symbol of the nations, and just like the Queen of Sheba, a queen of the nations, came and gave Solomon great gifts, the Magi come and give gifts to Christ.
And here’s why that is theologically significant. Solomon was a type of Christ.
Under his reign the people of God had rest and prosperity just as God had promised and Solomon was the one who built the Lord a permanent house. The Temple of the Lord.
Well Christ the greater Solomon, gives us the fullness of rest and blessing in the gospel and He builds God the true and better permanent house where God dwells with His people in the church.
Not only that, but these extravagant gifts represent the glory of the nations being brought to God.
Like we said, God would be worshiped among the nations and this is a picture of that. The nations bring all of their glory to Christ.
And finally all of these gifts point to Christ’s Kingship and work as our mediator.
Now I’m not saying the Magi knew this. I agree with Calvin that its ridiculous to expect the Magi to have thought through all of this fleshed out theology in bringing these gifts to Christ.
But that doesn’t mean God didn’t sovereignly choose these gifts and record them in His word to tell us something about Christ.

Gold

First, gold in the Bible, represents holiness and purity and it covered the Temple and Holy of Holies where God dwelt with His people (1 Kings 6:21-35).
Well Christ is the True Temple where we draw near to worship God and True Sacrifice that atones for all of our sins.

Frankincense

Frankincense. Frankincense was fragrant and glittering gum used in some sacrifices of the Old Testament but it was also well known for its medicinal properties.
Christ, as the Messiah, was the one who would bring healing to the nations through the good news of the gospel.

Myrrh

And myrrh.
Myrrh was a beautiful perfume used in the Old Testament to anoint priests to serve as mediators for the people between them and God (Ex. 30:22-33), and it was even later used in Jesus’ own burial and crucifixion because He is our Great High Priest and the only true Mediator between God and men (Mark 15:23, Jn. 19:39, 1 Tim. 2:5).

Prophet, Priest, and King

All of these together could actually point to Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King like we talked about earlier.
As Prophet, He preaches good news that brings healing to the nations; so frankincense.
He is our anointed High priest who offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins; myrrh.
And He is our King, which points to the gold, the metal of kings - beautiful, rare, and expensive.
At any rate, whether there’s theological meaning in the gifts or not they all ultimately point to Christ as our great God and Savior because number 1. It was customary that when you would bring gifts to a king, the king would give you gifts in return.
Well Christ had no gifts.
His gift was the gift of eternal life. Salvation and forgiveness from all of our sins for everyone who believes in Him and his death and resurrection.
And number two they point to Christ as our great God because they were how the Magi showed and offered their worship.
And that takes us to a very important application from this passage.

Application

Remember we started this sermon asking Who is Jesus? How answer that question determines how you will respond to Christ.
Matthew 2 gives us three options.

Rebellion and Opposition

First, rebellion and opposition.
These are those that hate Christ and hate the people of God and rage against the Lord every chance they get.
This was the response of Herod. Outright hostility.
Herod hated Christ. Wanted nothing to do with Christ. Saw Him as a threat to His life and His sovereignty.
He absolutely refused to give up his life, his power, his authority and submit to the King of kings.
How many of those outside of Christ refuse to come to Him because they don’t want to give up their life and live for Christ?
Is that you today? Are you so proud and you love your life so much that you absolutely refuse to give it up and follow Christ? Worship Him? Bow down to Him?
Jesus warned, whoever wants to save his life will lose it. What will it profit a man if he gains the world and yet forfeits his soul (Matthew 16:25-26).
Don’t lose your life. Come to Christ and be saved.

Indifference

Number 2: Indiference.
This was the response of the scribes and the chief priests.
Why did they not go with the Magi? They knew the Scripture. They knew the Christ was born and yet they kept on going with business as usual.
They could not be inconvenienced to make the five or six mile trip down to Bethlehem to worship the Savior.
This is many religious people in the church today.
They know the Word. Know the songs. They come to church. But Christ is a non-factor in their lives.
They are not interested, and have no interest in truly worshiping or following Christ.
The Bible says it will be worst for them on the day of judgment unless they repent.

Worship

And finally, number 3…worship.
This was the response of the Magi and this is how all men are called to respond to Christ.
John Piper gives, I think, a really helpful fourfold definition of what it means from the Magi to worship Christ (“We have Come to Worship Him, December 21, 1997, Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).
First, they acknowledge Christ as Lord.
Where is he who has been born King of the Jews.
Worshiping Christ means Jesus is King of your life.
He calls the shots, and we should live all of our lives in obedience to Him.
Second, they gave Christ glory.
They fell down and worshiped Him.
Bowing down says, you are high, I am low.
You are worthy, I am lowly.
Giving Christ glory means we praise Him for all that He’s worth and live all of our lives for him.
Third, they worshiped Christ with great joy.
And not just that, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
Quadruple joy.
Christ is not honored by dead, lifeless religion.
He is not interested in our perfunctory prayers or worshiping Him out of obligation.
True worship rejoices in Christ and the goodness of all that he is.
Is Christ our delight? Our joy? Our treasure?
If he’s not, do we even know what it is to worship?
And number 4, true worship overflows in sacrificial gifts.
The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
They traveled a far way risking robbers, danger, and months of their life all to come and worship Christ.
Calvin says spiritual worship offers spiritual sacrifices. Paul says offer yourselves.
True worship offers to Christ all that we are and all that we have to Christ and His glory.
Do we give to the Lord all that which costs us nothing (1 Chron. 21:24).
Or do we worship Him with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, and all of our strength?
All of our time? All of our talent? All of our treasure?
What pains are we willing to take to worship Christ? How far are we willing to go? What price are we willing to pay?
The call to follow Christ is to worship Him with all of our life.
To live for His glory and obey Him as Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always and live all of our lives for Him.
That’s what it means to live a life of worship.

Conclusion

Jesus is the joy of all nations who gives salvation to everyone who believes in Him.

He is the Messiah and the hope of the world.
The One God promised would crush the head of the serpent and make all things new.
He is the light of the nations who brings all those who are far off near and showers them with His grace.
And He is our great God and Savior who has given us the gift of eternal life and is worthy of all of our worship and praise.
So I ask you again, who is Jesus?
Is He your Savior-King?
The light of your life and your greatest joy?
I pray that He is and if he is not I pray that He would be today!
Because knowing Christ, believing in Him, trusting alone in His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave is the only way to be forgiven of all your sins and have the joy of eternal life.
And at the end of the day that's really what Christmas is all about.

Let’s Pray

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil...For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
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